Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble – In Step (1989)

This is the last proper album by legendary blues artist Stevie Ray Vaughan and his backing band Double Trouble before SRV’s tragic death in a helicopter crash in 1990. Sadly in retrospect, he had found himself in a new found sobriety at this time. Still, the music he made was important. Let’s take a listen to this album and see if it is up to scratch with his previous earlier material.

We begin our musical journey with The House Is Rockin’ which begins with a dirty guitar riff, followed by a boogie sort of piano and a classic Rock music sound here. This is a really excellent listening experience, and it is proof that, after going through rehab, Stevie Ray Vaughan had it still going for him. The guitar solo here is really amazing, and sounds incredibly good. A very good start to this album, nice to hear a throwback to the 1950s by SRV. Brilliant fun and energetic.

Up next is Crossfire which has a drum roll intro, more piano and some organ here to go along with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s amazing guitar playing. Once the singing kicks in, we have a gloriously good track that is full of clever Rock music traditional and soul. It’s very catchy here, too. A clever mixture of different musical elements, this is really fun to listen to. The guitar solo here is really fast and very much like something Jimi Hendrix would do. A great tune to hear. A clever and interesting piece of listening, this is really amazing musically. SRV does play to impress everyone listening, and he succeeds here. Nice job mate.

Tightrope is a great musical piece that sounds like a real blast from the past. This sort of music isn’t really played or listened to much anymore. Still, this is musical history and a stone cold classic of a song. It has brilliant singing, excellent guitar playing and organ, along with other elements here. The guitar solo is really excellent, sounding blistering and bluesy. SRV and Double Trouble do extremely well. There is a brief instrumental break in the middle, before the whole piece resumes. A killer listen, this is very good and refreshing. The playing by all members here is fantastic, and there is another amazing guitar solo to finish this off. Brilliant music. It sounds extremely fresh and inspired, always a good thing.

Let Me Love You Baby comes along next, with some more 1950s Rock and Roll style sounds here. Stevie Ray Vaughan gets his groove on as well, and this is a really amazing musical experience. The music here is amazing, although it is less than three minutes long. An expressive guitar solo is here to join on in with the fun. Once again, another great track which deserves repeat listens. Traditional, but very very good. Nice song.

Following is Leave My Girl Alone which is a very unusual (for Stevie Ray Vaughan) sort of intro, before going into a slow bluesy piece about love troubles. You can hear how amazing SRV and co are at their musicianship, this is really awesome and legendary to hear. A really excellent call-and-response styled piece, this is amazing listening. Very beautiful and melodic guitar playing is on this track, especially with the guitar solo. It is a slice of awesomeness from the past, and Stevie Ray Vaughan puts in one of his best ever guitar solos here. Nice tune, and always great to hear from SRV. Brilliant. It has a dramatic finish.

After that is Travis Walk, which has a quirky guitar part at the beginning of the song. This piece is an instrumental, but a very ear grabbing and interesting listen all the same. It sounds amazing, especially given it is barely over two minutes long. There is some brilliant boogie style piano in the second half of this song, too. Another brilliant effort by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, it sounds very catchy.

Wall Of Denial begins with lone electric guitar before the rest of the band join in for another great song. This music is very legendary and must be heard to be experienced. This song continues the musical themes of the rest of the album, mixing blues, rock and soul into one hotpot of a mix. SRV should have been proud of this music, it is really awesome. There are some amazing guitar solos here, and the whole thing sounds awesome and energetic. Really top listening. The music here is completely different to anything released in the 21st century, it is real and full of passion, unlike many 21st century acts. A really fine listen, the solo towards the end is very Jimi Hendrix like, and mindblowingly top. Great effort by these guys, and worth repeat listens. The end is a little weird, but a great track here nonetheless.

Scratch-N-Sniff is next, and is more of the old school 1950s boogie style sound. It is short, running under three minutes, but amazing and brilliant here. Some old school piano is here, and this whole piece sounds brilliant. A cool wah-wah guitar solo is also here, which sounds really amazing. A fun and fresh listen, this is very inspired and different to anything else out there today. Everyone here puts in a winning performance, what a great song. Nice to hear.

After that is Love Me Darlin’ which is a more straightforward Rock groove with some searing blues playing from SRV. A really awesome piece of music that sounds really amazing, and is a very good call-and-response song. The guitar solo here is manic and impressive, nobody could play guitar quite like Stevie Ray Vaughan. An excellent piece of music, and another great listen off the album. Fun and bluesy, it doesn’t get much better than this. Great to listen to anytime.

Last here is Riviera Paradise which has some incredible sweet guitar playing at the start of the track. It is a good start here for the longest song on this album, and sounds incredible subdued and gentle listening. Soon enough, some bluesy guitar soloing enters. This is an amazing piece of music, very few could reach Stevie Ray Vaughan’s levels of skill at the electric guitar. This is a pleasant jam to listen to, and to relax to. This is perhaps SRV’s answer to Miles Davis’s In A Silent Way? Maybe. It sounds excellent and fresh, with SRV giving us his all, backed up by organ and a slow drumbeat. There are piano and synth strings in the middle here, quite a nice addition to this cut. Very listenable and decent, this is a relaxing and gentle journey through sound. The second half of the instrumental has more nicely played and structured guitar parts, which sound very incredible and amazing. A beautiful and heartwarming piece of music, it is a great piece, especially if you love SRV. There are some impressive hammer ons/pull offs by Stevie Ray Vaughan here towards the end. Getting gradually quieter towards the end, it is a beautiful gem. It ends slowly and gently.

This is a really amazing and listenable album, and this isn’t even Stevie Ray Vaughan’s best album. It demands intense listening, especially if you dig fantastic electric guitar work. Sadly, this was the last proper release by SRV before his tragic death. If you love classic Rock and Blues, give this a listen today.

Enchanting.

9/10